Dispenser for personal care composition

ABSTRACT

A dispenser, in the form of a sachet, made from a water-soluble plastics material, containing a personal care composition including at least one surfactant together with an effervescent base material, the base material including any material or combination of materials that when in contact with a sufficient amount of water liberates gas.

BACKGROUND

[0001] 1. Technical Field

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a dispenser containing a personal care composition and, more particularly, to a dispenser containing such compositions as are generally added to a bath.

[0003] 2. Related Art

[0004] Many types of personal care products are available for use in the bath. Some deliver additives to the bath, such as minerals, emollients, colour, fragrance, skin conditioning agents and so forth. Others are designed to deliver lather to the bath. While this may be achieved through the incorporation of a suitable surfactant into the formulation many of these products, particularly those with high surfactant levels, require a large degree of hand agitation to aid their dissolution. As a result of this foam does not form in any great amount until some time after the product has been added. More recently effervescent bath tablets have been marketed. One composition of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,215. Anhydrous solid systems of this type generally include a combination of carbonate/bicarbonate salts, typically sodium bicarbonate, with acids, typically citric acid, which on contact with water react to release carbon dioxide. The function of these products is primarily the delivery of fragrance and/or color to the bath water.

[0005] For bath applications these solid systems, often known as bath tablets and bath bombs, are compressed under high pressure into tablets or spheres. Additives have been added to these systems, typically color, fragrance and oils. Surfactants have occasionally been added to these systems but at low levels to help bind these systems together and at such low levels no foam is produced.

[0006] While it would seem that the inclusion of a higher level of surfactants in these systems would deliver a suitably foaming effervescent bath product, this is not actually the case. As the level of surfactant is increased in these systems the speed of the effervescent reaction and hence dissolution is dramatically reduced giving a product which neither effervesces nor foams particularly effectively. It is a further observation that the pressure of binding involved in these systems also affects the speed of dissolution and effervescence and hence foaming. As the tableting pressure is increased, these systems dissolve more slowly and effervesce and foam less readily. U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,215 discloses that for high dissolution and good foaming performance an effervescent foaming product should be designed to have a low density. This is achieved by using a molding process rather than tableting the materials under pressure. However, the speed of dissolution and hence foaming from such a system, while improved over the standard tablet pressure method of formation, is not particularly rapid. In addition, these systems tend to leave undissolved residual material in the bath. This is not acceptable to the consumer, therefore, the undissolved residual material is a major disadvantage of currently marketed bath tablets and bombs.

[0007] It is known to provide laundry formulations in a water soluble sachet. Such compositions do contain surfactants and so would generate some foam if used in a bath, but would have several disadvantages should they be so employed. Laundry formulations are specifically designed to give a controlled quantity of foam tailored to the wash habit and method of washing. With front loading washing machines a low degree of foam is required due to the mechanical action of the wash process. A common practice is to control or restrict foam generation using anti-foaming agents such as silicone compounds. For top-loading washing machines or hand-washing applications higher foam level is required for aesthetic reasons. However, foam control is still necessary to ensure ease in rinsing garments after the washing process. In general the level of foam and foam stability is significantly lower than that required for bath applications.

[0008] In addition, many of the additives included in these formulations, such as enzymes and bleach, are skin irritants which clearly are not suitable in bath formulations. The surfactants used in laundry applications are harsh and would not be suitable for bath applications as they would be likely to irritate the skin. Similarly, the pH produced by laundry powder systems on dissolution into water is much higher (typically >10) than would be acceptable for a personal cleansing application.

[0009] In any event disintegration and dissolution of such sachets in laundry applications relies heavily upon the significant mechanical energy produced in a washing machine during the washing cycle. Consequently, such a sachet including a laundry composition would be unsuitable for use in the bath.

SUMMARY

[0010] The present disclosure provides a water-soluble plastic sachet containing a personal care composition. The personal care composition includes at least one surfactant and an effervescent base material, and it preferably in a powdered or granular form. The base material includes any material or combination of materials that when in contact with a sufficient amount of water liberates a gas. Preferably, the base material is a mixture of an acid and an alkaline salt that react in the presence of water to release a gas such as carbon dioxide.

[0011] The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the following more particular description of preferred embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. The drawing is not to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the disclosure. The principles and features of this disclosure may be employed in varied and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] It should be understood that the drawings are provided for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to define the limits of the disclosure. In the drawings:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an exemplary dispenser containing a personal care composition in accordance with the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Referring to FIG. 1, the present disclosure is directed to a dispenser 10, in the form of a sachet or enclosure 12 made from a water-soluble plastics material, containing a personal care composition 14 that includes at least one surfactant together with an effervescent base material, the base material including any material or combination of materials that when in contact with a sufficient amount of water liberates gas.

[0015] In use the sachet or enclosure quickly dissolves under running water and the formulation inside reacts, quickly dissolves and rapidly produces copious amounts of foam overcoming the poor dissolution properties experienced currently with some conventional bath liquids.

[0016] The dispenser of the disclosure provides an aesthetically pleasing foaming bath product provided in a single-shot ready-dosed easy-to-handle form. The presence of the effervescent base material provides for the quick disintegration of the sachet and also gives greater dispersion of the sachet contents once released.

[0017] Preferably on dissolving the water-soluble sachet or enclosure does not act as a skin irritant. The sachet preferably comprises any water-soluble film having a thickness “t,” ideally including any of the following materials either alone or in combination: poly-vinyl alcohol (PVOH) polymer, poly-vinyl pyrolidene (PVP) polymer, starch-based polymer or natural substances such as rice paper, cellulose and alginates. The preferred film thickness “t” is dependent on the solubility characteristics of the film material. For the preferred film material, PVOH, the preferred film thickness “t” would be about 10 microns to about 1000 microns, more preferably about 15 microns to about 80 microns, and most preferably about 20 microns to about 60 microns. The sachets can be formed by one or more continuous pieces of film that are sealed longitudinally and/or transversely at appropriate places to form a sachet by either heat sealing or adhesive sealing. The sachet allows accurate dosing for one-shot delivery and also allows the effervescent base material and the surfactant to be held in close proximity without the need for molding or tableting of ingredients that would reduce solubility and performance.

[0018] The effervescent base material and surfactant are ideally combined together in powdered or granular form and then filled into the sachet. Alternatively the individual components of the sachet could be added separately or in a variety of combinations of individual components. The contents of the sachet are substantially anhydrous.

[0019] The surfactant or surfactant systems may be chosen from any of the anionic, non-ionic, cationic or amphoteric classes of surfactants that are suitable for personal care use. Examples of anionic surfactants include salts of fatty acids (e.g. Sodium laurate), alkyl sulphates (e.g. Sodium lauryl sulphate), alkyl ether sulphates (e.g. Sodium lauryl ether sulphate), aromatic hydrocarbon sulphonates (e.g. Sodium cumene sulphonate), isethionates (e.g. Sodium cocyl isethionate), and sulphosuccinates (e.g. Sodium lauryl sulphosuccinate). Examples of amphoteric surfactants include, alkyl amphoacetates (e.g. cocoamphoacetate), betaines (cocamidopropyl betaine) and amphopropionates (e.g. Sodium cocoamphopropionate). Examples of non-ionic surfactants include fatty alcohol ethoxylates (e.g. laureth-4), fatty acid alkanolamides (e.g. cocamide DEA), amine oxides (e.g. alkyl dimethyl amine oxide) and alkyl polyglucosides (e.g. lauryl glucoside). Examples of a cationic surfactant are the quaternary ammonium compounds (e.g. alkyl trimethyl ammonium chloride). Mixtures of the above surfactants can also be used. The surfactant is necessary to provide foam as well as for cleaning purposes. In a preferred embodiment, the surfactant level would typically include between about 1 to about 99 percent of the total composition, more preferably about 2.5 to about 60 percent, and most preferably about 5 to about 30 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition.

[0020] The effervescent base ideally produces carbon dioxide gas on contact with a sufficient amount of water. In a preferred embodiment, the base material would typically comprise between about 1 to about 99 percent of the total composition, more preferably between about 40 to about 97.5 percent, and most preferably between about 70 to about 95 percent, by weight, based on the total weight of the composition. The effervescent base ideally comprises one or more alkaline carbonate and/or bicarbonate salt in combination with at least one acid. Typically these would be added in stoichiometric amounts so that a complete reaction occurred although it may be preferred to add one or the other material in excess. Examples of alkaline carbonate and bicarbonate materials include sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium, carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium sesquicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium sesquicarbonate. Examples of suitable acids include citric acid, formic acid, tartaric acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, maleic acid and lactic acid. A preferred embodiment of the effervescent base material would include sodium bicarbonate and citric acid.

[0021] The composition may additionally comprise further ingredients as are conventionally used in bath products such as any of the following either alone or in combination: colorants, preservatives, fragrance, skin conditioning agents or anti-bacterial agents.

[0022] Colorants would be chosen from those known to cosmetic chemists. Typical colorants include FD&C certified colors in the US and those given CI numbers in the EU. Such materials would be included at a level designed to impart either the formulation and/or the bath water with an aesthetically pleasing color and would be selected to be compatible with the other ingredients in the base. Colorants would be typically included at between about 0.01 percent to about 5 percent of the weight of the total composition.

[0023] Preservatives can be chosen from those commonly known to cosmetic chemists and would be included at levels that would effectively prevent microbial contamination in the product. Typical preservative materials include phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, isopropylparaben, diazolidinyl urea, imidazolidinyl urea and benzyl alcohol. Preservatives would be typically included at between about 0.01 percent and about 2 percent of the weight of the total composition.

[0024] Fragrances are mixtures of odoriferous components and would be chosen to provide the formulation with a pleasing odor. Typical levels of fragrance would be about 0.1 percent to about 5 percent of the weight of the total composition

[0025] Anti-bacterial agents are components that are used to reduce the number of germs of the surface of the skin. Typical antibacterial ingredients include, 2,4,4′-tricolor-2′-hydroxy-diphenyl ether (more commonly referred to as Triclosan® or TCS), 3,4,4′-trichlorocarbanilides (more commonly referred to as Triclocarban® or TCC) and para-chloro-meta-xylene (PCMX). Typical levels of the anti-bacterial agent would be about 0.001 percent to about 5 percent of the weight of the total composition.

[0026] The composition may additionally comprise further ingredients that aid the flow of powder within the sachet. Typical flow agents include starch, silica and talc. Typically these ingredients are included at between about 0.1 percent and about 10 percent of the total weight of the composition.

[0027] As this disclosure concerns materials which will react on contact with water is important that the levels of water in the composite ingredients is minimized. It is preferable that only very low levels of water are contained in the formulation and that any water which is found within the formulation is bound chemically or physically to prevent sachet dissolution and/or the effervescent base to begin to react.

[0028] In order that the present disclosure may be more readily understood a specific example will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying examples.

WORKING EXAMPLE

[0029] The ingredients listed below were weighed as shown. The ingredients were milled together until homogenous and a PVOH sachet was filled. Ingredient Concentration (%w/w) Sodium Bicarbonate 46.5480 Citric Acid 38.8210 Sodium Lauryl Sulphate 11.5000 Cocamidopropyl Betaine 2.1000 Fragrance q.s Color q.s

[0030] It is to be understood that the above described example is by way of illustration only. Many modifications and variations are possible. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dispenser, in the form of a sachet, made from a water-soluble plastics material, containing a personal care composition, the personal care composition comprising at least one surfactant and an effervescent base material, the base material comprising any material or combination of materials that when in contact with a sufficient amount of water liberates a gas.
 2. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sachet is made from a water-soluble film.
 3. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sachet is made from a material selected from the group consisting of poly-vinyl alcohol (PVOH) polymer, poly-vinyl pyrrolidine (PVP) polymer, starch-based polymer, cellulose and alginates, and combinations thereof.
 4. The dispenser of claim 3, wherein the sachet comprises a poly-vinyl alcohol film having a thickness of about 10 microns to about 1000 microns.
 5. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the sachet has film thickness of about 15 microns to about 80 microns.
 6. The dispenser of claim 4, wherein the sachet has a film thickness of about 20 microns to about 60 microns.
 7. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the effervescent base material and surfactant are combined together in a powdered or granular form.
 8. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the sachet contains a personal care composition in which the components are anhydrous.
 9. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the at least one surfactant comprises a surfactant selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a non-anionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, and an amphoteric surfactant, and combinations thereof.
 10. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the surfactant comprises at least one anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of a salt of fatty acid, an alkyl sulphates, an alkyl ether sulphates, an aromatic hydrocarbon sulphate, an isethionates, a sulphosuccinates, and combinations thereof.
 11. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the surfactant comprises at least one amphoteric surfactant selected the group consisting of an alkyl amphoacetate, a betaine, an amphopropionates, and combinations thereof.
 12. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the surfactant comprises at least one non-ionic surfactant selected the group consisting of a fatty alcohol ethoxylte, a fatty acid alkanolamide, an amine oxide, an alkyl polyglucosides, and combinations thereof.
 13. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the surfactant comprises a quaternary ammonium compound.
 14. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the at least one surfactant constitutes from about 1 percent to about 99, by weight, of the total composition.
 15. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the at least one surfactant constitutes from about 2.5 percent to about 60 percent, by weight, of the total composition.
 16. The dispenser of claim 14, wherein the at least one surfactant constitutes from about 5 percent to about 30 percent, by weight, of the total composition.
 17. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the effervescent base material constitutes from about 1 percent to about 99 percent, by weight, of the total composition.
 18. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein the effervescent base material constitutes from about 40 percent to about 97.5 percent, by weight, of the total composition.
 19. The dispenser of claim 17, wherein the effervescent base material constitutes from about 70 percent to about 95 percent, by weight, of the total composition.
 20. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the effervescent base material comprises at least one alkaline salt and at least one acid.
 21. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein the alkaline salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium sesquicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium sesquicarbonate, and combinations thereof.
 22. The dispenser of claim 20, wherein the acid comprises one of citric acid, formic acid, tartaric acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, maleic acid, lactic acid, and combinations thereof.
 23. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the personal care composition comprises a stoichiometric amount of the effervescent base material.
 24. The dispenser of claim 1, wherein the effervescent base material comprises sodium bicarbonate and citric acid.
 25. The dispenser of claim 1, the personal care composition comprising: sodium bicarbonate; citric acid; sodium lauryl sulphate; and cocamidopropyl betaine.
 26. The dispenser of claim 25, the personal care composition comprising: about 46.5 percent sodium bicarbonate; about 38.8 percent citric acid; about 11.5 percent sodium lauryl sulphate; and about 2.1 percent cocamidopropyl betaine.
 27. The dispenser of claim 25, further comprising fragrance and color.
 28. A dispenser, in the form of a water-soluble plastics material enclosure, containing a powdered or granulated personal care composition, the personal care composition comprising at least one surfactant and an effervescent base material, the base material comprising an acid and an alkaline salt that react with each other in the presence of water to release a gas.
 29. A dispenser containing a personal care composition, comprising: a poly-vinyl alcohol polymeric enclosure having a thickness ranging from about 10 microns to about 100 microns; at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of an anionic surfactant, a non-ionic surfactant, a cationic surfactant, an amphoteric surfactant, and combinations thereof; a carbonate selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium sesquicarbonate, potassium sesquicarbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and ammonium sesquicarbonate, and combinations thereof; and an acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, formic acid, tartaric acid, glycolic acid, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, maleic acid, lactic acid, and combinations thereof. 